Mindfulness 101 (Part 1)
How are you feeling right now? What can you hear? Look around—do you see anything red? Do you take notice of all the people wearing masks in stores since the start of the pandemic? If you answered any of these questions, congratulations! You were just practicing something called mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined as the quality or state of being aware of yourself (body and mind) and your surroundings. Put simply, mindfulness is noticing all that is happening in your present moment. For a more in-depth description of mindfulness, click here.
One of the most famous superheroes in the world is an expert in mindfulness: Spiderman. Spiderman uses his powers of awareness—or Spidey senses—to help protect his city and himself. We can be our own personal superheroes by adopting the same tactic to help our bodies! For example, noticing you are hungry or thirsty are examples being mindful of your body. Once you notice this, you can grab a snack or a glass of water, and those feelings will go away. Listening to your body and acting on what it needs is a necessary form of self-care. This is one of the reasons mindfulness can help you emotionally too!
It is sometimes easy to recognize feelings of hunger, thirst, or soreness, but it is not always as easy to be aware of our emotions. In moments you want to cry or feel grumpy, and are aware you’re feeling this way, you have already done all the heavy lifting! Our brains are trained to tell us when they feel stressed or anxious, and it is our job to listen to and make good choices. If you’re feeling stressed, for example, it may be a result of not getting enough sleep each night. If the next night, you make efforts to sleep longer, you may wake up feeling more alert—and less stressed too! To read more about the benefits mindfulness practices have for our brains, especially our mental health, read here!
Mindfulness is an important tool you can use to promote feelings of happiness and well-being. It can help minimize feelings of stress and unhappiness, and even boost your confidence! Next week, please join as we explore some ways we can make mindfulness a part of our daily routine!
For more information on mindfulness and its value to your mind and body, we encourage you to read through these links below:
How kids can benefit from mindfulness training (theconversation.com)
What is Mindfulness and How to Explain it to Kids and Adults (blissfulkids.com)